Continuous web-handling apparatus



May 26, 1970 N. J. PETRI 3,

CONTINUOUS WEB-HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 20, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. NELLO J. PETRI m? m I- ZV I ATTORNEYS y 1970 N. J. PETRI CONTINUOUS WEB'HANDLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 20, 1967 FIG .3

INVENTOR. NELLO J. PETRI ATTORNEYS United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 83-156 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for printing and/or punching a continuous web of paper in which the web is fed to and held against a portion of the periphery of a rotating feed cylinder and is moved at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the cylinder, in which the web is then fed from the cylinder through a pair of rollers where the web is printed or punched and in which the web is then fed back to and held against a portion of the periphery of the same feed cylinder, so that the web is fed to and taken from the pair of rollers at an equal rate in order to avoid variations in, web tension.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for printing and/or punching a continuous web of paper. In the normal printing or punching apparatus a roll of paper is continuously unwound and run through a printing or punching ap paratus, after which the web is wound up on a take-roll or is run through a cutting station to cut the web into sheets.

Efforts are made to maintain the web under a constant tension as it is being printed or punched, since paper is elastic to a degree and will stretch under tension. However, up to the present invention, such apparatus for handling a continuous web of paper cannot operate in normal usage without some variation in tension of the web either before it enters or after it leaves a printing or punching station. Although the variation in tension produces variations in the stretch of the paper, for many operations such variable stretching can be and, indeed, must be tolerated.

However, the problem of variable web tension becomes particularly acute in the production of printed forms that have a plurality of holes spaced along one or both margins thereof. Such forms are made by running the web through a set of punching rolls to form the holes, the web being then cut into sheets. In such forms it is highly desirable to have the hole spacing as uniform as possible along the sides of the sheets for collation purposes. Variations in tension on the web as it is punched will cause corresponding variations in the hole spacing, so that exact registration of the holes in collated sheets will be impossible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is particularly designed to eliminate variations in web tension as it is being printed or punched.

In general, this is achieved by utilizing a rotating feed cylinder having two free-running endless belts in pressure engagement with opposite sides of the feed cylinder. The

web is passed between one of the belts and the cylinder for rotation with the cylinder and is then passed through the printing and punching station, after which the web passes back to the same feed cylinder to be gripped thereto by the other belt.

By this arrangement, the speed of the paper as it initially leaves the feed cylinder is exactly the same as the speed at which it returns to the cylinder, and thus the tension on the web as it is printed or punched will remain constant, even though the speed of rotation of the feed cylinder may vary or even though the tension in the web before it initially reaches the feed cylinder or after it finally leaves the feed cylinder may vary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawings, which form a part of this application and in which like parts are indicated by like reference numerals throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of apparatus for printing and punching a continuous web of paper constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the drive mechanism for the feed cylinder and printing and punching mechanisms.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, elevational view of the apparatus for applying tension to the endless belts that engage the feed cylinder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reference numeral 10 designates the feed cylinder which is closed at both ends and is mounted horizontally on frame 11 by bearing members 12 for rotation about its axis. Cylinder 10 has a gear member 13 fixed at one end thereof so that the cylinder may be rotatably driven by a suitable drive means, indicated diagrammatically in FIG. 2 by gear 14 in mesh with the cylinder gear 13, the gear 14 being driven by motor 15. The feed cylinder 10 is rotatably driven in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Two free-running endless belts 16 and 17 are provided, one on each side of feed cylinder 10. Belt 16 is trained over idler rollers 18, 19 and 20 which are located as shown in FIG. 1 so that the belt is in contacting engagement with a substantial portion of the periphery of and on one side of the feed cylinder. As feed cylinder 10 rotates, it will move the endless belt 16 therewith, the belt 16 moving in a direction as indicated by the arrows on FIG. 1 so that it continuously comes into tangential engagement with the feed cylinder and moves therewith at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the cylinder. Endless belt 17 is similarly trained around idler rollers 21, 22 and 23 so that it engages a substantial portion of the periphery of the other side of the feed cylinder 10.

The endless belts 16 and 17 are mounted as illustrated in FIG. 3 so that the pressure they exert on the periphery of feed cylinder 10 may be adjusted to a desired amount. Idler rollers 18, 19, 21 and 22 are journaled in frame 11. Idler roller 20 is journaled in crank arms 24 at either end of roller 20, the crank arms 24 being keyed to shaft 25 journaled in frame 11. Crank arm 26 is also keyed at one end thereof to shaft 25 and is connected at the other end to rod 37 which is secured to the piston (not shown) within a conventional double-ended cylinder 28 mounted on frame 11. Fluid under pressure may be admitted into the ends of cylinder 28 from a pressure source (not shown) through line 29, valve 30 and lines 31 and 32.-

The idler roller 23, around which belt 17 is trained, is similarly mounted and connected to cylinder 33 by crank arms 34, shaft 35, crank arm 36 and rod 37. As may be seen, if the fluid pressure in the upper ends of cylinders 28 and 33 is increased, idler rollers 20 and 23 will be urged downwardly to increase the tension in belts 16 and 17 and to increase the pressure they exert on the periphery of feed cylinder 10.

Mounted above the feed cylinder 10 are the printing mechanism 40 and the line hole punching mechanism 41.

The printing mechanism 40 comprises a pair of parallel rollers 42 and 43 rotatably journaled in frame 11. In

FIG. 1 the printing mechanism 40 is shown as a lithographic oifset printing system, comprising an impression roll 42, a blanket roll 43, a plate cylinder 44, a train 45 of inking rollers and a train 46 of dampening rollers. As indicated in FIG. 2, roller 42 is provided with a gear 47 at one end thereof in mesh with idler gear 48 which in turn meshes with gear 13 on feed cylinder so that roller 42 is positively driven by the feed cylinder. The gear ratios are chosen so that roller 42 rotates with the same peripheral speed as that of feed cylinder 10.

The line hole punching mechanism 41 comprises a pair of parallel rollers, punch roller 50 and socket roller 51 rotatably journaled in frame 11. The punch roller 50 is provided with a plurality of punch members 52 extending outwardly therefrom which are adapted to register with the sockets 53 in socket roller 51 so as to punch holes in a web of paper passing between the rollers. As shown in FIG. 3, rollers 50 and 51 are provided at one end thereof with meshing gears 54 and 55, idler gear 56 being in mesh with gear 55 and feed cylinder gear 13 so that rollers 50 and 51 are positively driven by the feed cylinder. Again, the gear ratios are chosen so that rollers 50 and 51 are driven at a peripheral speed equal to that of the feed cylinder 10.

Since the main object of the present invention is to provide a system wherein the printing and punching rollers rotate in exact unison with the rotation of the feed cylinder 10, it is desirable to provide that the gear trains 13, 48 and 47 and 13, 56, 55 and 53 remain in forward driving engagement during operation of the system, even though variations in the line voltage applied to motor may occur. This is accomplished in the present invention by filling the feed cylinder 10 with a quantity of oil 56. As the feed cylinder 10 rotates, the continual slippage between the oil and the inner surface of the cylinder serves as a drag on the cylinder so that it cannot have the free-wheeling effect of a flywheel.

OPERATION OF THE APPARATUS In the use of the above-described apparatus, a roll of paper 59 is mounted on a suitable roll stand and the web 60 is trained around idler rollers 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65, dancer roller 66, and idler rollers 66, 67 and 68 to the feed cylinder 10 where it is tightly clamped to the surface thereof by endless belt 16, so that there will be no slippage between the web 60 and the cylinder 10. The web 60 is then trained around idler rollers 69 and 70 and passes between rollers 42 and 43 of the printing mechanism. The web 60 then passes around the spring loaded compensating roller 71 and idler roller 72, and passes between the rollers 50 and 51 of the line hole punching mechanism. From there the web 60 passes around idler rollers 73, 74 and 75 back to the feed cylinder 10, where it is tightly clamped to the surface thereof by endless belt 17 so that again there is no slippage between the web 60 and the feed cylinder 10. The web 60 is then taken from the bottom of feed cylinder 10 and trained around idler rollers 76, 77 and 78. From there, the web may goto another printing mechanism or cutting station, or to a take-up roll, as desired.

Since the web 60 travels up the left-hand side of the feed cylinder 10 (as viewed in FIG. 1) at exactly the same linear speed as it travels down the right-hand side of the same cylinder, it is apparent that the web will be fed to and taken from the printing and punching mechanisms at exactly the same rate and consequently without any variations in tension in the web. If the speed of rotation of the feed cylinder is varied, the speed of the web will, of course, vary therewith, but the speed of web movement on each side of the feed cylinder will vary equally so that no variations in the web tension will occur in the printing and punching mechanisms.

By the use of the invention herein shown and described, variations in web tension before the web first reaches the feed cylinder or variations in web tension after the web finally leaves the feed cylinder will not affect the constant tension of the web during the intermediate period when it leaves the feed cylinder and then returns thereto. Thus, by printing or punching the web during the period in which it is subject to constant tension, the distance on the web between printed portions or between perforations punched thereinto may be controlled with exactitude.

Although the present disclosure shows the use of both a printing mechanism and a punching mechanism, it is to be understood that only one such mechanism might be employed or that one or more printing mechanisms might be used or that one or more punching mechanisms might be used.

It is to be further understood that the present specification and drawings describe and illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and that various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the attached claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Apparatus for feeding and operating upon a continuous web of paper, comprising:

(a) a feed cylinder of uniform diameter,

(h) first means for rotating said feed cylinder about its axis,

(c) second means including a surface continuously movable into tangential and pressure engagement With one side of said feed cylinder with a speed equal to the peripheral speed of said feed cylinder,

(d) third means including a surface continuously movable into tangential and pressure engagement with the generally opposite side of said feed cylinder with a speed equal to the peripheral speed of said feed cylinder,

(e) fourth means including a device for performing an operation upon a continuous web of paper passing therethrough,

(f) fifth means for directing a continuous web of paper to and between said feed cylinder and said surface of said second means, then to and through said fourth means and then to and between said feed cylinder and said surface of said third means.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and in which said fourth means includes a pair of rotatable parallel rollers in tangential engagement with each other, and positive drive means between said feed cylinder and one of said rollers for rotating said one roller at a peripheral speed equal to the peripheral speed of said feed cylinder.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 and further including sixth means for imparting a drag on said feed cylinder in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said cylinder.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 and in which said feed cylinder is hollow and closed at both ends and said sixth means comprises a quantity of liquid enclosed with in said feed cylinder.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and in which said surface of said second means comprises an endless belt in pressure contact with a substantial portion of the periphery of said feed cylinder and said surface of said third means comprises an endless belt in pressure contact with a substantial portion of the periphery of said feed cylinder.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, and in which said fourth means includes a pair of rotatable and parallel rollers in tangential engagement with each other, and positive drive means between said feed cylinder and one of said rollers for rotating said one roller at a peripheral speed equal to the peripheral speed of said feed cylinder.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 and further in cluding sixth means for imparting a drag on said feed cylinder in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said feed cylinder.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 and in which said feed cylinder is hollow and closed at both ends and said sixth means comprises a quantity of liquid enclosed with- 3, 2 ,440 6/ 1967 Barnes et a1. 226-188 in said feed cylinder. 3,4 6,680 2/ 1969 Kaufmann 101-228 References Cited WILLIAM S. LAWSON, Primary Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Us 3,100,070 8/1963 Smith 226171 3,237,831 3/1966 Johnson 226--188 83436;101228226188 

